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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pop — music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pop — soda
  8. current — electric
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. current — happening now
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. land — to come down
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tube — a container
  16. pop — to visit
  17. tube — the underground
  18. clip — a video
  19. current — of water
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com